


Reconstruction

by seriousxue



Series: A World Without Aang [2]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Multi, Sokka and Suki are married and live bc they deserve it, zutara parent!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:47:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26042197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seriousxue/pseuds/seriousxue
Summary: They won, they defeated Ozai. Zuko is Fire Lord. Now what? Peace does not come easily.Sequel to The Painted Lady and the Blue Spirit ~ Set in a world where Aang died in the final fight with Ozai, and eight years later the scattered team Avatar teams up with the new Avatar, a hot-headed eight-year-old Korra.Will probably be mostly slice of life/cute little one-shots with a vague plot tying it together.*Will update summary if needed*
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Minor or Background Relationship(s), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Series: A World Without Aang [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1890436
Comments: 12
Kudos: 113





	1. The First Year

  
Zuko’s bed was cold and empty. It was too big for him. He hated being able to stretch out and feel only the vast expanse of expensive sheets. If he reached far enough, he found the edge and his hand could dangle down, his knuckles brushing on the cold hard floor. He missed his bed in Hira’a, the lumpy mattress made of straw that would poke through the sheets and stab them in the night, the piles of blankets they had to sleep under to stay warm.

In the Fire Nation, Zuko could sleep naked without a blanket and still be warm most nights.

He wondered if he hated his bed because he spent so much time awake when he should have been sleeping, insomnia had begun to plague him from the first day he was Fire Lord. The pressure was extraordinary, the loneliness crushing. His days were filled with meeting after meeting, everyone looking to him to make decisions that would affect not only his nation but the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes as well. His mind would just be spinning too wildly at night for him to fall asleep for more than a few hours, he had nothing to ground him.

He missed Katara.

He groaned, rolling over and spreading out on his back, arms and legs outstretched like a starfish. The canopy above the bed was dark, the room was dark.

He stood up, bare feet padding on the cold tile floor until he was outside. He leaned against the railing, looking up and trying to find the moon. As a child he never really cared for the moon, as a Firebender, he was weaker at night and when his whole life was one big fight, he didn’t like feeling weak.

Now though, the moon was his last connection to Katara. She got her strength from the moon and he got his strength from her.

He sighed, turning his attention to the city sprawled out below. The royal chamber had an amazing view of most of the fire nation capital city, he could see the palace town where most of the staff and royal families lived. Past that was the city, where the rest of the people lived. There weren’t many lights on, but he saw a few people going about their business in the night.

Further out was the docks, a few ships silhouetted in the darkness. He waited every day for a Water Tribe ship to dock, for Katara to arrive. Things would get better when she came back, he reminded himself every day. She would come back. She had to, right?

He stepped back, stretching his back and turning to return to bed when an arrow whizzed past him, a second followed quickly and grazed his arm. He felt hot blood flow and grabbed the wound, trying to stop the bleeding and apply pressure to ease the pain. Zuko ducked down and pressed himself flat against the balcony railing. He peered out trying to see where the arrow had come from.

He called out for the guards and the two that had been outside his room burst in, taking a moment to find him.

Two more arrows flew past but Zuko could roll away from them as the guards lept up the railing onto the roof to try and find the culprit. The palace went into alarm, bells rang and seven more guards ran into the room, grabbing Zuko and roughly moving him to the windowless bathroom.

“You’re hurt,” one of them said, noticing his arm, “I’ll fetch a doctor.”

“No need, it’s not that bad,” Zuko said, he was lying though. The wound was burning, and he felt a throbbing pain creep up his arm. Suddenly his arm seized up, then his chest, then his legs. Zuko would have fallen to the ground if someone had not caught him,

“Poison!” One of the guards exclaimed. Zuko was lowered to the ground as he grit his teeth, trying to fight the paralysis that was taking over his body. He felt his chest tense up and worried that his heart might stop beating.

“My mother…” he managed a whisper out of his mouth, his jaw was clenched, and he couldn’t open it.

Fortunately, one of the guards understood and left, running to find Ursa on the other side of the palace. Zuko wondered if he would have that long.

He couldn’t breathe, his chest was so tight air couldn’t leave or enter. His lungs must have seized up too, Zuko tried to stay awake and fight the poison but his eyes fluttered shut and he fell out of consciousness.

He woke up to someone pounding on his chest, one of the guards was leaning over him and pressing up and down. Zuko’s mother was also there, breathing into his mouth and trying to fill his lungs with air.

“Keep going,” she told the guard, “keep him alive until the antidote arrives.”

Zuko tried to ask if the assassin had been caught but he still couldn’t move. Instead, he could only drift back out of consciousness.

He woke up again, this time lying in his own bed. This time he could breathe on his own, his chest still hurt but not nearly as much as his arm. He managed to glance down and saw it was bandaged tightly.

Ursa sat in a chair near his bed and stood up when she saw he was awake. She sat down next to him, gently feeling his forehead and pushing his hair out of his eyes.

“How are you feeling?”

Before Zuko could answer, Kiyi bounced into his line of sight and sat on his other side, staring at him with concern.

“What happened?” He asked, his mind was fuzzy. He remembered being shot at, he remembered falling on the floor of his bathroom.

“You were asleep for almost two days,” Ursa said, “You are very lucky, the poison they used could have easily killed you if we had not gotten there in time. Your guards and I kept you alive while Kiyi ran to the garden and found the antidote. Your lungs stopped; you would have suffocated.”

“Good thing you got the right plant then eh?” He said to Kiyi. She smiled

  
“Good thing you didn’t die I guess.” She said nonchalantly. Zuko tried to sit up but his chest hurt too much and he fell back onto the pillows, wincing. His mother poured a cup of water and gently held it to his mouth, even swallowing the water hurt.

“Did they catch the assassin?” He croaked, “are my guards okay?”

“They are all fine, but they were unable to find the assassin,” Ursa said grimly. Even in the palace, she wore her clothes from Hira’a and Zuko appreciated it. She felt like the mother he had gotten to know in that little village. She still felt like home even though he still felt awkward and uncomfortable in the palace.

“Can you send them in please?” He asked. Ursa stood up and left, Kiyi following. A few moments later Zuko heard the door open again but he couldn’t quite crane his neck to see, “I’m sorry but can you stand next to my bed? I can’t really move that much to see.” He called out.

There were footsteps and then Sokka’s face was peering over him, “Is this close enough my lord?” he asked. Zuko was confused, Sokka was on Kyoshi Island helping Suki rebuild, so how was he here in Zuko’s chambers?

Someone grabbed Sokka by the back of his shirt and pulled him back, “give him some space Sokka, he almost died.” Suki said. She was holding a tray of food in one hand and sat down in the chair Ursa had been in when he woke up.

“Suki? Sokka? What are you doing here?”

“We heard that someone was trying to kill you,” Sokka said, he sat cross-legged on the bed next to Zuko and grabbed some bread off the tray, tearing it in half and passing half to Zuko. Zuko managed to raise his arm enough to take it and tried to eat some, but the bread was so dry it got caught in Zuko’s throat and he ended up coughing most of it up.

“We are the only people allowed to try and kill you, so I have some angry words to share with whoever was bold enough to threaten my Lil fire lord.” Sokka continued, ignoring the mess Zuko made trying to eat the bread. Suki passed him a towel and then helped Zuko take a few sips of warm tea.

“Your mother sent for us,” Suki explained, “and no offense to your previous head of security but he really did a terrible job. I looked around and am convinced if you had someone competent protecting you, they could have found the assailant and kept you from getting an arrow in your arm.” 

“What do you mean the previous head of security? Is he okay?”

“Yes, he’s fine. I mean previous because I am your new head of security.” Suki said proudly, “the Kyoshi warriors are at your service.”

“What? No, I can’t ask you to do that. My men are just, well, Azula didn’t really have much security so they never really trained that well.” Zuko said, “I don’t want to tear you away from your home!”

“Nonsense. We are here to serve you; I already have some of my best girls outside patrolling every entrance to this room. Of course, you will have round the clock security and I have assigned people to your mother and Kiyi as well, just in case.”

“That’s insane it was just an arrow—”

“Zuko this is non-negotiable.” Sokka interrupted, “we are here to protect you. Besides, I was going to have to come to live here anyways for a bit so this works out well. Suki and I can keep planning our wedding.” Sokka smiled, he leaned back on one of the bed pillars.

“What are you going to do?”

“You didn’t hear? I was asked to be the ambassador to the Fire Nation from the Southern Water Tribe. I am also in charge of North Pole- South Pole relations and diplomacy. Dad’s the chief again so I can go between the two poles and try and connect the tribes.”

Despite all the pain in his chest, Zuko felt warmth and happiness he hadn’t felt since his coronation. Sokka and Suki were going to be with him again. He had his friends back. Now all he needed was Katara.

“Wait what about…” Zuko trailed off, if Katara wasn’t there maybe she didn’t want to be. Maybe no one had told her. That would be the best scenario, he didn’t want her to worry about him. He would rather she stay in the south pole.

“Were you going to ask about my sister?” Sokka asked bluntly, taking some of the fruit off the food tray despite Suki swatting at his hand. Zuko said nothing, “News travels fast nowadays, I would assume she will be here soon.”

Here. Soon. Zuko felt his heart begin to beat. What would he say this time? They hadn’t spoken in almost two months. Sokka and Suki stayed with him for a while, catching up and chatting. Sokka tried to feed him soup but it just ended up spilling everywhere until Zuko convinced him he could feed himself.

He was tired still though and ended up falling asleep to the sound of Sokka and Suki arguing about something one of them had said in the past months.

When he woke up again it was dark outside. He felt brand new, the pain in his chest was gone and there was only a thin scar on his arm where the arrow had cut him. Someone was curled up in the chair next to his bed, asleep. A blanket had been draped over her but Zuko still knew who it was.

Katara.


	2. Year 1

Zuko slowly sat up, trying not to make much noise. He didn’t know how long Katara had been there but didn’t want to wake her up. He still felt sore, but the throbbing pain was gone, he could move without wincing. He rotated his arm experimentally, still a little stiff, but he barely noticed. Katara really was incredible.

Zuko was glad she was asleep; he could try and plan out what he was going to say when she woke up. She was curled up in the chair, her knees pulled to her chest. Moonlight from his balcony hit her face, illuminating her smooth skin. Zuko thought about gently moving her to the bed so she would be more comfortable, but the memory of the last time they saw each other flooded back into his mind. She had healed his physical pain, but the emotional sting remained.

It was his coronation, a beautiful day of celebration. He gave a speech about peace and working with the Avatar (that Korra had slept through, Tonraq informed him after). Wine was flowing and the celebratory dinner was a whirlwind. Zuko barely remembered who he talked to that night, everyone wanted to see him and talk to him.

He talked to Mai for a bit, but he couldn’t remember what it was about, she was seeing someone new though, and informed him she was not interested in getting back together (Zuko had not even considered it but was glad she seemed happy).

His mother was there, along with Kiyi and Noren. Kiyi went around and met some of the other palace youth, Zuko suspected she was finding people to recruit for her group of warriors. Sokka, Suki, and Toph had entertained people with funny stories of their travels with Aang. Hakoda had been there with another member of the Southern water tribe Zuko vaguely remembered, Bato, Katara had informed him.

Zuko had sent an invitation to Ozai, but he was unable to attend due to being locked up deep in ice in the South Pole, a prison Katara and Toph had built together, combing ice and metal to create an impenetrable fortress.

As incredible as the banquet was, Zuko was tired of having to talk to people he barely knew, tired of having to keep his smile plastered on his face. He wanted to take Katara to the Turtle Duck Pond and just hide away from the masses, but he was the Fire Lord now. Being civil at his own coronation was the least he could do.

Katara was by his side most of the night, he didn’t like the crowd and panicked when she left his sight. When he felt anxious, he could just look at her, squeeze her hand, feel her next to him and things were okay. That was until Tian came up.

The balding man was Azula’s old advisor and wanted to find out if his job was secure. Zuko assured him it was (for the moment) but Tian kept asking questions, ascertaining what kind of Fire Lord Zuko would be. He somehow wiggled his way between Zuko and Katara. She chuckled and mouthed that she was going to find something to drink.

Tian kept him for almost ten minutes with endless questions and ideas. Finally, he broke free and scanned the crowd for Katara. She was nowhere to be seen. He asked around, finally spotting her off to the side of the courtyard. He had been so close to her the whole night and hadn’t had a chance to really appreciate how beautiful she was.

She was wearing a long blue gown that shimmered in the light, her hair was down and wavy except for the traditional loops of the water tribe, she had tied them with red string in support of him and he wasn't sure if he could love her any more than he did. After everything they had been through, he knew he loved her but for some reason seeing her with red string in her hair solidified it. He decided at that moment he was going to ask her to marry him as soon as things calmed down and they settled into their new lives.

Now, she stood poised, moonlight from a nearby window casting her in a pale light. She was stunning.

Zuko then noticed she was frowning. Someone was talking to her, one of the military generals. He couldn’t hear what they were saying but it was obviously getting to her and Zuko felt anger swell. He walked up quickly, touching her arm gently. She pulled away and it felt like something shattered between them. 

“What’s wrong?” Zuko asked, Katara looked up at him, then glanced at the general and then turned around and walked away. “What did you say to her?” Zuko asked, keeping his voice low but not bothering to filter out his anger. The General shrugged but said nothing. Zuko wanted to keep interrogating him but decided to find Katara instead.

She was sitting at one of the tables with Miku, bouncing Boyang up and down in her lap. The baby was smiling and tugging on her necklace, trying to put it in his mouth.

“Is this seat taken?” Zuko asked, gesturing to the chair next to her. Katara shook her head and he sat down, “how are you doing?” he asked Miku.

“This is incredible Sir, I mean, Fire Lord, I mean…” she blushed, “I don’t know how to act around you anymore.”

“Exactly how you did before, you can even call me Lee if you want still. Just don’t call me Fire Lord, nothing too fancy.” Zuko laughed. Miku smiled and relaxed.

“I’d better go find my other children and my husband. Can you keep an eye on little Bo?” Katara nodded and Miku left them alone. They said nothing, Zuko could tell whatever the general had said really bothered Katara, she focused on the baby and pointedly didn’t look at him.

Zuko picked up one of the papers that had been left on the table, mindlessly folding it into the shape of a turtle duck and passing it to the baby who squished it immediately.

“What did he say to you?” Zuko asked, “you know he worked for Azula right, don’t listen to anything he said.”

“Things have changed, haven’t they?” Katara said softly, “we aren’t kids running through the forest anymore.”

“What do you mean?” Had her feelings changed? So quickly in just one night? Had there been other signs he hadn’t picked up on? Zuko felt his chest tighten.

“I’m sorry Zuko I don’t want to ruin your night. We can talk later.” She smiled but there was sadness in her eyes.

Before he could say anything else a drunk Ty Lee materialized and insisted he join them on the dance floor, dragging him away from Katara. He tried to suppress his worry, but his mind didn’t stop thinking about Katara, about what that general had said.

Finally, the time had come where he could gracefully depart, saying goodbye and thank you to the guests was another long time and by the time he was finally alone, Zuko was exhausted. Sokka appeared next to him, throwing his arm around the new Fire Lord. His breath heavy with the stench of alcohol. 

“Where is your sister?” Zuko asked, Sokka shrugged,

“I think she went um… to bed? Maybe? I dunno she said something to dad then left.”

Zuko couldn’t find her that night, he found out later from Suki she had left with Korra’s family back to the South Pole early the next morning.

He found a note on his desk, hastily written.

“Zuko,

I’m sorry. Things are different now; I don’t know where we fit anymore. We saved the world only for it to push us out- ironic right?

I’m going to spend some time at home, they need my help rebuilding and I need some time to be with my family.

I love you, that won’t ever change.

-Katara”

Hot tears fell down his face, dripping onto the paper and causing the ink to bleed. Zuko crumpled it up and tossed it across the room in anger. What did she mean? Of course, there was space for them, there had to be. He would make sure there would always be a place for them. He would carve it out with his bare hands if he had to.

Did she not think it was worth the fight anymore? His first instinct was to hop on his ship and follow her, force her to tell him what that general had said. He wanted to send her a letter every day reminding her that he was waiting, he would wait for her. Instead, he said nothing, he did nothing.

He didn’t see her again until he woke up with her next to his bed. The note she had written was on his nightstand. He had flattened it out and read it every day, “I love you, that won’t ever change.” He held on to that, said it like a prayer.

Katara stirred and her eyes fluttered open, she smiled at him and stretched, resting her chin on her knees.

“You look terrible,” she said. Her voice was hoarse and sleepy, Zuko almost started crying at the sound of it.

“I’ve missed you,” he said, searching her face in the darkness for some hint of how she was feeling. Had she only returned out of a duty to save the Fire Lord? He used to be so good at reading her emotions but the face that stared back at him was one he couldn’t quite figure out.

“I was so worried; I came as fast as I could. Your mother did a good job of keeping you alive,” she said. She reached forward, picking up a cup of water and raising it to his lips, “drink.”

He obeyed, taking the cup from her. His heart leaped into his throat as their fingers brushed, she pulled back quickly.

Zuko suddenly felt resentful, how could she just leave? He didn’t even know what was wrong. They sat in silence while the moonlight disappeared, replaced by beams of yellow sunlight against a purple sky. 

“You said we would talk,” Zuko said finally, his voice was also hoarse and dry. Katara sighed,

“I shouldn’t have left so fast,” Katara said carefully, “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

Zuko said nothing, she had hurt him. She picked up the note gingerly and he knew she could tell how many times he had read it, how many times he had cried into it. His pain had been sealed in every wrinkle in the paper from each time he had folded and unfolded the note, each time he had crumpled it and each time he had painstakingly flattened it out so it wouldn't rip. She knew she had hurt him.

“I’m sorry, I should have just told you what was wrong, I was afraid that…I was afraid that if we talked about it, I might really have to let you go. It was easier for me to just put it off.”

“What happened?” Zuko’s voice was tense and reserved, why would she have to let him go?

The door to his room opened and Zuko swore under his breath. It was Tian, the advisor Zuko had yet to find a replacement for.

“Oh, good you are awake my lord, I am so relieved nothing happened to you.” He said. Katara pulled back into the chair and Zuko wanted to shove Tian out the door.

“Yes, I’m doing much better now.” Zuko said, he stood up and pulled on a shirt, noticing Tian's eyes lingering on the scar on his chest, “can I help you with something?”

“Oh, yes sir, well you have been asleep for a number of days now and I have been keeping up as much as possible, of course, but there are still quite a few things that need your personal attention. Oh, hello, I’m Tian, royal advisor to the throne.” Tian had noticed Katara and extended a hand to her. She ignored it and just nodded curtly.

“Alright I’ll be there in a moment, give me time to make myself presentable.” Zuko walked over to the bathroom. Although there were people whose sole job was to make him look royal, Zuko much preferred doing his own hair and dressing himself.

“I’m afraid there isn’t much time sir, I can brief you while you dress, and then we have a meeting with the Military Generals re. decolonization efforts and squashing dissent.” Tian kept talking, filling Zuko in on all the meetings he had that day.

Zuko already knew what he needed to know, the meeting had been planned for weeks now and Zuko had done his own research in advance. Tian had an agenda and until Zuko could figure it out, he preferred to get his own facts rather than just relying on the words of his advisor.

Zuko pushed past the round man and sat back on the bed facing Katara, “I’m not done talking,” he said, “can you wait for a few hours?” _Please don’t leave again, not without letting me fix this._ His silent plea. Katara nodded, squeezing his hand,

“I’ll be here.” She said, “I promise.”

Zuko tried to convey his gratitude to her, Tian shoved him out of the room. Suki had been guarding his door that morning, he discovered, and she fell in line next to him as they walked down the hallway.

“Your crown is on backward.” She said, smirking, Zuko reached up only to realize he wasn’t wearing his crown. No time to go get it, Tian had already almost vanished down the hall. Suki laughed and punched him in the arm, “I’m just giving you grief, it’s in my job description.”

“Isn’t your job to keep me alive?” Zuko grumbled,

“Alive and humble.” Suki responded, “are you okay?” she asked this question quietly so Tian couldn’t hear.

“Fine,” Zuko lied, “just make sure your girls keep an eye on Katara while she’s here.”

“So she doesn’t run or so she doesn’t get hurt?” Suki asked, pausing outside the doors. Zuko glanced at her, considering the options.

“If she doesn’t want to be here, I can’t stop her, right?” Suki smiled sympathetically, signaling to one of the Warriors. Zuko nodded gratefully and took a deep breath before entering the great hall. Suki followed him inside and stood at the door, her eyes darting around. As much as he hated putting her in danger, it was nice to have a friend in these types of meetings.

The General who had spoken to Katara sat in the center of the table. He was an older man, his hair long and gray. He had a square beard and the hardened eyes of a soldier. Zuko apologized for keeping everyone waiting, assured them all he was safe and healthy and began the meeting.


	3. Year 1

Zuko’s eyes were trained on the general the whole time, he didn’t speak much during the meeting. He avoided the Fire Lord’s glare, instead, he kept his eyes trained on the map in front of them.

“There has been resistance in the west,” Admiral Kim had been on the ship with Zuko as a teenager, he had always been good to him even at his whiniest hormonal honor-seeking low. When Zuko found out he had been promoted by Azula, he was pleasantly surprised. Admiral Kim was one of the few people from Azula’s staff Zuko could trust completely, “I suggest we send people to try and deal with it diplomatically. The use of violence so soon might not be good.”

“They need to know that the Fire Lord is not to be trifled with,” Tian said, “if we squash resistance early you won’t have to deal with it later.”

“That was my father’s tactic and look where it got him.” Zuko said, “Admiral, who do you suggest go talk to them?”

“If your schedule permits it you would probably be of great help, otherwise I would send someone that you trust to act in the interests of peace,” Kim shot a pointed look at Tian.

“It is a pity the young Fire Lord is unmarried,” the general that spoke to Katara said, “if he were this would be an excellent job for a fire lady.”

  
“I’m sorry I did not catch your name,” Zuko said coolly, trying to figure out what the general’s angle was. He hadn’t been to many of the meetings but Zuko had caught him lurking around suspiciously before. He made a mental note to ask Suki to keep an eye on him.

“I am General Ma, I worked for your father for most of my life and led the final attack on Ba Sing Se.” General Ma said, bowing slightly, “at your service.”

“I can go myself,” Zuko said, “I am the one uprooting their lives the least I can do is hear them out.”

“If I may, Lord Zuko,” General Ma said, “I believe that in this case having a partner would be better. If you give in and go personally, they will believe they can summon you with a few fires and demonstrations. Send a woman to talk to them, calm them down.”

“Are you suggesting something? Speak clearly, General. I don’t respond well to subtly.” Zuko was beginning to piece together what General Ma might have said to Katara and he wished he was still the hot-headed teenager who could just blast people who upset him to oblivion. 

“All I want to say, if I may be so bold, is that I would be happy to help arrange the meeting of the esteemed Fire Lord and some respectable young women from the Fire Nation. I know in the past you were close with some of the royal families, perhaps there is a woman who will satisfy you there.”

“I see,” Zuko’s voice was cold and flat, “and I’m assuming you have someone in mind already?” He could just shut Ma down, this was not the setting or tone he should take to approach the Fire Lord, but Zuko wanted to try and figure out what he said to Katara that night.

The other advisors and military personnel in the room watched with rapt attention. Zuko ignored them and kept his eyes fixed on General Ma.

“Well, since you asked, I do have someone you might find interesting. She is a powerful fire bender and beautiful as well, she can produce strong heirs for you.”

Zuko felt sick, is this what being Fire Lord meant? He remembered his mother, forced to marry Ozai to produce strong benders, forced to leave Noren for a life of suffering. If he married for anything other than love, wouldn’t he be doing the same thing Azulon had done? Forcing his will upon another? Surely that was not one of his duties.

“I see,” Zuko said, trying to figure out what to say, “then if I may ask the other advisors in the room a question – I am new to being Fire Lord, is it tradition for the Fire Lord to marry in order to produce strong heirs? Powerful benders?”

“Well, yes, sir. Every Fire Lord since Sozin has been strategic in their bride.” Tian said, shifting uncomfortably.

“And Sozin, the Fire Lord that started this war and forced Avatar Aang into hiding for 100 years is who we are modeling our nation off of?”

“Well…it’s not exactly that,” General Ma saw he was being backed into a corner, “we suggest that his majesty marry someone who will have the best interests of _the Fire Nation_ at her heart. Someone loyal and committed to understanding our culture and people.” 

“I understand,” Zuko said, “and will take your advice into consideration.” He did not plan on doing that, in fact, he wanted to marry Katara right then and there if only to spite those who did not believe in her. He stood up, exiting through the large doors. 

“Keep them away for a moment please, I want to speak with Ma alone,” he whispered to Suki. Tian and Admiral Kim had followed him out, but Suki positioned herself between them and Zuko.

“Sorry, but the Fire Lord is not receiving guests at this time.” She said,

“I see him right there, pacing in the hallway,” Tian said, “I only wish to speak to hi- Excuse me, Lord Zuko, may I have a word?”

“I’m sorry, but the Fire Lord is not receiving guests at this time,” Suki repeated, her voice firm. After a moment, General Ma came out and she stepped aside.

Zuko turned down an empty corridor, Suki gently encouraging General Ma to follow by grabbing his arm and shoving him after.

When they were alone Zuko grabbed the general by the lapel, shoving him back into the wall, “I would encourage you, _General_ , to think about who you are dealing with now.” Zuko spoke quietly, he doubted even Suki could hear, “I do not have the same values as you do and am not interested in your opinions on how I choose to live my personal life. I will choose who I marry myself and you will either accept and respect her or you can choose to be an example of what happens to those who oppose peace and diplomacy.”

He stepped back, releasing Ma’s clothes, “I might not be as angry or vindictive as my sister or father before me, but I am no less dangerous, and I _will not_ be messed with.”

General Ma stared at Zuko, not breaking eye contact. Zuko was worried he would have to fight to be respected. Instead, General Ma just smiled, bowed, and exited down the hall without a word.

Suki came up behind him, clapping him on the back, “that was kind of hot,” she said, “don’t tell Sokka but if you really are looking for a bride, I would love to throw my name in the mix.” Zuko stared at her for a moment before realizing she was joking.

He brushed past Suki and headed back to his room, hoping Katara would still be there.

She wasn’t. The blanket she had been using was tossed on the bed, the note had been folded up. Zuko felt like all the air had been sucked out of his lungs. Maybe they had changed too much.

He was about to figure out how to cancel all the rest of his meetings to go visit with his mother when Katara walked out of the bathroom. She stopped and stared at him, wide-eyed. She was wearing one of his robes, her hair was wet.

“I thought you left,” he said, somehow his feet were glued to the floor.

  
“I just needed to clean up a bit, I came here so fast I didn’t have time to bathe. I hope you don’t mind I didn’t bring anything else to wear…” she glanced down sheepishly. He realized how worried she must have been to come so quickly without preparing, maybe there was hope for them.

“Of course, that’s fine. I can send for better clothes for you too.”

“Thank you, Tonraq and Senna will bring me some things too when they arrive next week with Korra.”

That meant Katara was preparing to stay, Zuko tried not to get too excited. She walked over to him, reaching up and pushing back a strand of hair that must have come loose when he threatened General Ma. Katara was so close to him, he could feel her breath, smell the ocean in her hair.

In a moment of weakness, he forgot anything was wrong and gently cupped her face, kissing her softly. She grabbed his collar and pulled him closer, one hand tangled in his robe while the other reached up behind his neck. He pulled her tightly against him, so their bodies were flush and tried to convey all his love and hurt and longing in the kiss.

They were still so familiar with each other, moving in sync, breathing heavily. Then it was over, and he was cold again. Katara broke away, staggering back. He saw she was crying; he felt his own tears too.

She turned away, pulling the robe tightly around her and walking onto the balcony. He followed a few steps behind. He glanced up and saw two Kyoshi warriors perched on the roof like hawks, another was on the ground, her eyes trained above.

“I’m sorry for leaving,” Katara said, leaning on the balcony and staring over the city.

“I talked to that general today and can guess what he said to you.” Zuko sighed, “Katara you know he’s wrong.”

“It was just so much. We had _just_ saved the world and this guy comes up and tells me I shouldn’t marry you it was just…overwhelming. I hadn’t even thought about marriage really until he brought it up. Then the only thing I wanted to do was marry you just to spite him.”

Zuko smiled despite himself, she said she wanted to marry him. “Why didn’t you talk to me about it? It just seems…so unlike you to run away like that.” He stood next to her and looked past the city to the docks, he could see a tiny water tribe boat tied up, small next to the large fire nation fleet.

“I was being immature. All those years it was just us, it seemed like it would always be just us. I guess…I didn’t know if we were going to win so I tried not to think about what would happen if we did. Then that week before your coronation I saw what life would be like for us and I was excited but also overwhelmed. Then general Ma said I would be lucky to be a consort but that you could never marry someone from the water tribe and just…freaked out. I didn’t know if you…if you would still want me now. You are so important Zuko. I don’t want to get in the way.” Katara didn’t look at him while she spoke, her eyes stayed fixed on the horizon.

Katara’s words swirled around in his head and Zuko felt dizzy, sometimes if he thought too hard about the fact that he was Fire Lord he freaked out. He felt a pang in his chest, residual soreness from the poison. He leaned on the railing trying to cover up the pain but Katara must have seen. She reached over and put a hand on his arm.

“You aren’t fully healed yet, come on lay down for a bit.” 

“I’m fine,” Zuko lied, “Katara us being together isn’t just good for us, it’s unheard of. I would be the first Fire Lord to be with someone outside of the Fire Nation. It would make history and be a true symbol of peace, the water tribe and fire nation have struggled for years and this would change the game.”

Katara didn’t say anything but Zuko could tell she was thinking hard, her brow was furrowed, her nose scrunched up. She nervously pulled on one of her sleeves. 

“And aside from that, you would be an incredible queen. An incredible leader, you realize, that, right? You are the daughter of the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, that’s not nothing. You traveled and trained two Avatars, you defeated Ozai. You lived in the Fire Nation and understand our culture and people.” Zuko felt like if he didn’t convince her now he would miss the chance, his head was spinning though and he had trouble focusing his eyes on her.

“Come on, you need to sleep.” Katara wrapped an arm around his waist and gently tried to bring him to his bed. He stopped and grabbed her hand.

  
“Most importantly, I love you and I want you to be here with me. There’s no one else I would be happy with. I won’t force you, though, It’s a lot of pressure and it won’t be easy so if you don’t want to commit, I understand.”

That was about all Zuko could manage before his heart began to race and he went from dizzy to lightheaded and spots of gray crept in the corners of his vision. He gasped would have collapsed if Katara hadn’t caught him and helped him to his bed. He passed out still clutching her hand, hoping she would be there when he woke up.

His mother was sitting by his bed when he woke up. Before answering any of his questions she forced him to eat and drink and as Zuko sipped the hot soup in front of him he realized he hadn’t actually eaten in a few days. He felt a lot better when he was done.

“Tian was not happy that you missed your afternoon meetings,” Ursa said, Zuko winced, standing up a little too quickly and falling back onto the bed, “I told him you needed more rest and he could deal with things himself.”

“If only that were true, I need to find some real advisors I can trust,” Zuko muttered, “where is Katara?”

  
His mother smiled gently, “she had dinner with Sokka and Suki, I’m sure she’s around somewhere. It takes a long time to adjust to being with the Fire Lord. Zuko, be patient with her.”

Zuko wondered if his mother had ever really adjusted. But they were different, right? There was no love between Ursa and Ozai. He told his mother what General Ma had said.

“You are doing things very differently than they are all used to, it’s only been a few months. Change doesn’t happen overnight.”

“You sound like Uncle.” Zuko sighed, he missed his uncle more every day. He would know exactly what to say, he would know what Zuko should do. _“Young prince,”_ he imagined his uncle saying, _“the heart wants what the heart wants, you can sit someone down but can’t force them to drink the tea”_. That wasn’t helpful, Zuko wished his uncle was really there so he could ask what that meant.

“Let her be tonight, she needs to figure out what _she_ wants,” Ursa advised as Zuko left his room. His mother was right, but he was tired of giving Katara space, he was tired of being Fire Lord alone.

He regretted not talking about it with her before they went to the Air Temple. They could have at least said something like “hey If I’m fire lord will you still wanna date? No? Bummer!” or “yes! Great!” and he would know if he was fighting for something that could be saved.

He wandered around and, like always, found himself at the turtle-duck pond. The tree he had sat under as a child was still there, tall and proud. Like it had been waiting for him to return. He sat down and leaned against the tree, watching the ducks follow their mother in the water.

He could wait for her as the tree had waited for him; he _would_ wait for her. He didn’t know what he would do if she left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> treating u guys to back to back updates <3


	4. Year 1

The palace was too big, Zuko could go weeks without seeing half the people that lived there. Usually, he didn’t mind, he preferred being on his own to being surrounded by throngs of advisors or ministers, all pushing some agenda. He liked being alone by the turtle-duck pond, alone in the library, alone in his room.

  
That week though, Zuko wished the palace were smaller so he could see Katara more. Thinking about her being so close and yet not crossing paths with her was excruciating. Every so often he saw someone turning the corner, caught a glimpse of her hair or her blue shirt and his heart pounded. Suki assured him Katara wasn’t avoiding him, but he wasn’t so sure.

Meetings were even worse, General Ma kept trying to introduce Zuko to women he knew, Tian kept trying to convince him to stay in the Fire Nation and let someone else handle the colonies. His only reprieve was that Sokka had begun sitting in on meetings, he found himself exchanging glances with Sokka often whenever someone said something objectionable.

“Those meetings sure are…interesting,” Sokka whispered to Zuko as they left one particularly tedious war tribunal. Why they still had war tribunals was beyond Zuko, but he had been assured it was necessary for at least a year after the end of the war.

“Makes you miss Hahn up at the North Pole doesn’t it?” Zuko whispered back, eyeing Tian and General Ma. They left together, all of them were headed for the same hall for lunch but Zuko and Sokka trailed behind. Ty Lee was guarding Zuko that day and she bounced around behind them.

“Hey, I still have to deal with him pretty often.” Sokka said, sighing, “there’s this other guy, the Chief now, Unalaq. Korra’s uncle I guess.”

  
“Her uncle is chief of the southern water tribe?” Zuko wondered why he hadn’t realized that before, “how did she end up in the south?”

“I don’t know, there is definitely bad blood between her dad and uncle though,” Sokka said, “I can’t figure out what it is, but they sure do not- “

Sokka was cut off by a child running between the two of them and nearly toppling him. Zuko tried to hide a laugh at Sokka almost falling, his arms flailed dramatically. The child tripped and fell, a bunch of apples spilled out of his shirt.

A woman followed, pushing Zuko aside roughly and kneeling by the child, helping him stand and put the apples back in his shirt. Following her were a few city guards, spears drawn and pointed at the woman and child.

“What’s going on here?” Sokka asked, straightening his robes. Ahead, Tian, and General Ma had stopped and turned around.

“You dare shove the Fire Lord!” One of the city guards said, pushing his spear into the woman’s face. She was crying, tears streaked her dirty face. Ty Lee jumped in front of Zuko, her hands on her hips. He gently pushed her aside and walked up to the woman and child.

“It’s alright,” he said, “I’m okay.” He reassured the guards, but they did not lower their weapons. Zuko saw Katara out of the corner of his eye, standing by the garden with Mai. A few others had stopped to watch the scene play out. Zuko sighed, he hated it when an audience formed over every interaction he had.

“Sir, she stole those apples from the palace orchard and used that child to try and escape!” One of the guards said. Zuko glanced at the apples, most of them were bruised or small and misshapen.

“I’m so sorry your Highness,” the woman sobbed, “we were just so hungry…I promise we only took apples that had already fallen!” she clutched the child close to her chest.

“Stealing from the Fire Lord is punishable by death!” One of the guards said. Zuko frowned, exchanging glances with Sokka.

“Let’s all calm down for a moment here,” Sokka said, pushing the spear out of the woman’s face, “it’s just a few apples. No need to get all worked up.”

“Sir, if I may interject” General Ma had walked back and was whispering to Zuko, “you need to show these people you are to be feared. Not taken advantage of, there is no need to win the loyalty of this measly woman and child. Honor the law.” Tian was behind him, nodding in agreement.

Zuko glanced at Katara, how many times had they stolen apples so they could eat? They had stolen much more.

He knelt down and picked up one of the apples, it leaked and nearly melted in his hand.

“You’re right,” he stood up and faced the guards again, “this won’t do.” He squeezed the apple and it turned into mush, then with a quick flame from his palm the apple burnt away, “these apples are rotten! Surely the royal orchard has better fruit.”

“Sir, we only took the ones that had already fallen, please sir I am sorry it will never happen again,” the mother was sobbing, clutching her child. Both looked frail like their bones would poke through their skin if it was pulled to tight.

“Silence! You may not address the Fire Lord!” the guard pushed the spear back in her face. This time Sokka grabbed the head and with a loud crack, he broke the top off, tossing the splintered edge aside.

Zuko knelt once more in front of the mother and child, reaching out his hand, “what’s your name?” He asked.

“Rin, and this is my son, Kai.” She reached out a trembling hand, Zuko helped her stand up and then picked up Kai. The child was much lighter than Zuko had expected, they were obviously starving.

“Sir…” General Ma said, his voice was patronizing like a parent scolding their child. It grated on Zuko’s ears, he took a few deep breaths and ignored the General.

“You,” Zuko gestured to the guard who was still holding the broken end of his spear, “I want you to gather a large basket of fruit and bread, enough for two weeks of food. Make sure it’s fresh.” The guard stared at him, mouth agape.

Katara walked up, putting a kind hand on Rin’s shoulder, “here, I’ll take you two to the Fire Lord’s mother, she will give you some medicine and make sure you are healthy,” she gently took Kai from Zuko’s arms, giving him a tiny smile.

“Sir, she stole from the royal palace and must be punished.” One of the guards grabbed Rin by the arm as Katara tried to lead her away. Katara reached for her canteen as a reflex.

“Oh I’m sorry, I forgot for a moment and thought _I_ was Fire Lord,” Zuko said, “let her go and we can all move on.”

“But…sir-“

“It is my duty to protect my citizens, and that includes not letting them starve or get poisoned from eating spoiled fruit. She is going to eat and be taken care of and if any one of you has an objection to that I encourage you to quit as soon as possible. I am Fire Lord now and Azula and Ozai’s oppressive tyranny is gone.”

The guard let go of Rin and Katara led them away, glaring at him as they passed.

“That was very cool,” Mai said, walking up to him. Zuko gave her a weary smile. Ty Lee jumped up, her arm around Mai’s shoulder.

“What were you and my sister talking about?” Sokka asked, eyeing Ty Lee warily. He still didn’t trust her as much as the rest of the Kyoshi warriors.

“Oh, just what it’s like to date Zuko,” Mai said, smirking. Zuko felt his face turn red, “and we also talked about throwing knives a lot, I have to say I didn’t know water bending could be so cool.”

They resumed walking, General Ma’s shifty eyes following Zuko did not go unnoticed by the Fire Lord. Zuko was beginning to realize General Ma might bring bigger issues than just trying to marry Zuko off to someone from the Fire Nation.

That night, Zuko once again was trying to find Katara. He walked the perimeter of the palace, trying to avoid most of the people who tried to stop and talk to him. It was a full moon that night and the palace lanterns were barely needed.

Zuko finally found her on the docks, sitting at the edge with her feet dangling over. She was wearing her simple tunic and her hair was loosely tied back. She stared out over the water and as Zuko approached he suddenly got nervous.

He steeled himself and walked up, “Is this seat taken?” he asked, gesturing to the spot next to her on the wooden dock. Katara smiled and shook her head.

“That was pretty cool how you handled that earlier,” Katara said, nudging Zuko with her shoulder. He sighed,

“All in a day’s work.”

“Well, you really helped them out.” They were silent for a bit, the waves lapping against the wooden dock calmed Zuko. The push and pull of the waves. He lay back, lacing his fingers behind his head and staring up at the night sky.

“I never realized how much pressure you would be under,” Katara sat back on her elbows.

“Everyone is looking at me to fix every problem Sozin created, I don’t know anything! Someone wanting to kill me is honestly the easiest thing I deal with.”

“I’m so sorry,” Katara sat up suddenly, her back was to Zuko. He sat up slowly, leaning forward to look at her face. Her eyes were wet, and she sniffed bitterly.

“For what?”

“Fire Lord!” Tian ran up on the dock, “There you are! I wanted to discuss some things with you before our meetings tomorrow-“

“Tian I’m kind of busy,” Zuko sighed, Tian glanced at Katara then back at Zuko.

“Oh, well this will only take a minute if you will come with me for a moment—”

“It’s okay Zuko, we can talk later.” Katara sniffed, wiping her nose on the back of her sleeve. No, Zuko thought, we won’t talk about this later.

He stood up, offering his hand to Katara. Tian turned and began walking back up towards the palace, but Zuko stood in place. He glanced at Katara, gave her a small smile, then grabbed her around the waist, and jumped into the water.

Their heads popped up above the waves for a moment, the water was freezing and salty and the shock caused Zuko to gasp for air. “Can you give us some privacy?” He asked Katara, she stared at him, also shocked by the sudden swim they were taking, then she laughed. They looked up and saw Tian, reaching his hand out and trying to call someone over to help rescue the Fire Lord.

Katara wrapped her arms around his shoulders and slowly they sunk under the water, as their heads dipped below the surface an air bubble formed around them. The moonlight barely penetrated the water, but it was enough for him to see Katara’s face close to his, enough for him to feel her arms around his neck, feel her legs as they brushed against his.

“What were you saying?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I’m sorry I got scared and left, I just…I thought our fight was over and we were going to be happy together but there’s still so much to do.”

“Katara I underst- “

She kissed him mid-sentence, gently and slowly. When her lips left his, he felt empty and cold.

“Let’s get married.” She said, Zuko’s heart leaped into his throat.

“What?”

“Let’s get married.” She repeated.

“Yeah, yeah okay.” Zuko wished he could say something better, wished he could somehow express how much he loved her and missed her. He wanted to tell her how everything felt wrong when she was gone, how he only wanted her by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh i wasn't a huge fan of where this ended up so if you are still reading thank you!!!! I have some Real Juicy stuff for the next section so pls check back again and give me another chance D:


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